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So what does Fitness have to do with poppies?
I had to think about it for a while but there is a correlation. Here’s a clue: If you were asked, “What do you value the most in your life?” What would you say if I said you could NOT use “family” as your answer?
What would you give up or sacrifice over anything else but that one particular thing?
Depending on where you are in your life and what you may or may not have experienced, I would suggest that “your health” was near the top of your list.
Symbolically, the poppy represents many things but one of them would surely be Sacrifice. If you have ever thought about what you would sacrifice for your family, your children, your spouse or your siblings I’d hazard a guess to say your answer would be …..almost anything. And you would not hesitate a second to do it. But would you sacrifice your health?
More often than not, that’s exactly what we do. We work that extra over-time so we can afford a bigger present or a better holiday. Our evenings are spent driving kids to and from activities and before you know it, you have no time for yourself.
Those whom we are honouring, have and are willing to sacrifice their lives for our country and our freedom. That being said, have you ever seen an out-of-shape soldier? Not likely. They know that if they don’t make time for their heath, then they cannot take care of what they hold most valuable ….our freedom and their families freedom. Their health becomes part and parcel of doing their job.
Whether we find it hard to keep up with our kids, our grand kids or taking on greater responsibility with our parents, if we’ve neglected our health we find those common things much harder to do.
So why is it that if our families are at the top of the “most valuable list” and health is considered to be somewhere near the top, that we don’t put more thought into taking care of our health if we can’t take care of our most prized possessions without it? Why is there such a gap? Such a difference in priority between number one and number two on our list?
We all have to be soldiers at one time or another. That means taking care of ourselves so we can take care of what is most important to us. That means thinking about whether our health is worth sacrificing. Remember, if you haven’t got your health……….you know the rest.
Support our troops, honour those who fought for our freedom and buy a poppy.
Sincerely,
Andy Luukkonen
Owner, Body Fit Health Club